GROSSETO, ITALY - It sounds like a prank, but it is a bitter reality for 42-year-old Andrea Canessa in Grosseto. The man, who has been quadriplegic since a traffic accident in 2017, was hit by a car in his wheelchair at the end of July - and subsequently received a fine of 42 euros from the municipal police (Polizia Municipale). The accusation: he should have used the sidewalk.
The incident occurred in the evening in Via Giusti. Canessa was out and about in his semi-electric wheelchair to get some air as usual. „I was in the street, but only because I couldn't get onto the sidewalk with my wheelchair,“ he told local media. At a junction, a car cut him off and he came into contact with it. The wheelchair tipped over, Canessa fell to the pavement, while the driver who caused the accident simply drove on. Another driver stopped, provided assistance and called the police.
Impassable sidewalk ignored
Although Canessa had to be treated in hospital after the fall and, by his own account, suffers from the long-term effects - „I can hardly lift my arms“ - he now received a nasty surprise in the post. The three city police officers who intervened issued him with a fine. They certified that Canessa had violated Article 190/1-10 as a „pedestrian on an electric wheelchair“ because he had used the roadway even though there was a sidewalk „even with ramps for getting on and off“.
Canessa vehemently disagrees with this description. The sidewalk is full of obstacles such as manhole covers and is practically unusable for a wheelchair user. „The ramps are only for driving up, not down, and they are so steep that I risk tipping over in my condition,“ says the 42-year-old. He has now lodged an official complaint with the city police to contest the fine. The fleeing driver was reportedly not identified until 15 days later; he allegedly did not even notice the collision.
